Feu sur la Provence 2 (Lombard)/plot
The Protection Civile fire fighting squadron at Marignane holds a memorial ceremony for Biggles. Meanwhile Algy and Ginger fly in to join Bertie. Bertie tells them Biggles would have wanted them to continue their investigation. The team gathers to take stock of what they know so far. All the clues seemed to lead to the end of the Second World War and the disappearance of the Stein collection. Someone was after it and intent on wiping out the trail for others. They had already killed Pierre Lemaitre, his wife Marianne, and now probably Biggles too. The commander of the fire fighting squadron brings news that Leon most certainly been drugged on the day of his flight with Biggles. and most of the squadron as well. Algy, Bertie and Ginger decide to examine the crash site of the Biggles' Catalina but when they get there, they discover that police headquarters had given orders to place the location off-limits. They are not allowed in but see some civilian construction workers clearing the ground with heavy machinery. Meanwhile, Biggles has not been killed. He had rescued the girl, whose name is Manon. The two yhad then evaded the flames by taking refuge in the tunnels underneath the ruins. After recuperating for almost sixty hours, they crawl out and discover the construction workers. Manon is about to call out to them for help when Biggles suddenly grabs her and pulls her back into cover. They are armed, he tells her. What's more, the crew comes from the S.S.P.I. Then the black Alouette helicopter arrives. Some passengers get off and enter a tent. Biggles and Manon creep nearby and eavesdrop. Biggles seems to recognise the voice ... von Stalhein! The construction crews tell him they haven't found Biggles' body. Von Stalhein doesn't believe it when others think Biggles is dead. He wants proof! Meanwhile the crews tell him they have found a tunnel under the tower of the ruins but it appears too narrow of crates to pass through. Von Stalhein and his party leaves in the helicopter. Biggles and Manon take advantage of the noice from the lift-off to steal and make off in a jeep. Manon leads him over the mountains on a trail to her uncle Savinien's farmhouse. Savinien welcomes them and after Biggles has told him his story, Savinien also has something to tell him. He had been a member of the French resistance during the war. He and his unit came across a column of German troops which had just massacred the men of Vauvenargues village. They attacked it and annhilated it. He himself had been injured during the firefight and left in a farmhouse. Thus he survived when the rest of the unit was eliminated by a German division later. As for the trucks, they were empty. The Germans must have unloaded the Stein collection before the resistance unit attacked. Savinien also knew of the collaborators Colombani and Lenoir. Colombani wasn't all too bad, just a black marketeer but Lenoir was evil through and through. Savinien shows Biggles a photo of Lenoir during a round-up. Biggles recognises him. It's Gaston Leger! He saw him at Pierre's funeral. He was some high up official representing police headquarters. He also remembers seeing him on board the black Alouette helicopter. Now Marianne's dying words make sense. She had been telling him Leger was Lenoir! Unfortunately for Biggles, von Stalhein and Leger haven't been idle all this while. They had regrouped at the S.S.P.I. villa at Callis. There von Stalhein gets a report about the stolen jump which had since been found abandoned. Von Stalhein is suspicious and tells the S.S.P.I. men to investigate. One of the men is a local and remembers that Savinien's farmhouse is near the location of the jeep. The S.S.P.I. men set off with guns and dogs. The S.S.P.I. men surround the farmhouse. With only one rifle, Savinien can't fight them off. But Savinien has a trick up his sleeve. He tells Manon to get "Coquette" ready. He takes Biggles to a barn and show him ... a German armoured car! They get inside and use it to charge through. The small arms of the S.S.P.I. men are unable to stop the armoured car. Savinien knows where his resistance unit ambushed the German truck convoy but he tells Biggles that's not the right place to look. He has another plan. They would drop Manon off and she would then take a bus to Marignane to warn Biggles' friends while he and Biggles continue the search for the Stein collection. In Marseille, Algy, Bertie and Ginger meet Raymond who tells them that the S.S.P.I. is a front for Odessa, an organisation of ex-SS personnel. The Simon Wiesenthal centre had also confirmed what Biggles already knew, that Leger is in fact the ex-collaborator Gerard Lenoir. The three friends return to Marignane to find the squadron in a festive mood. Magali, their commander's secretary, is leaving the job and they are throwing a farewell party for her. There is much bantering and when Algy suggests that Magali could marry an English Lord, she disparages English food. Bertie thinks about the time he taught her to make proper English tea and then remembers.... Magali served tea to the squadron! As Magali takes her leave, Bertie and Algy move discreetly to the locker room and searches her locker and find drugs used to drug the pilots and other incriminating evidence. Magali was the ideal mole, she had access to everything in th squadron. But they must quickly stop her before she leaves the base. Meanwhile, at the gate, Manon has just arrived and meets Magali exiting. She tells Magali she has a message for Bertie. Magali says she will take it to him but Manon says Biggles told her it must be delivered personally. Did Manon say Biggles? Magali offers to take the unsuspecting Manon into the base. She brings her to an empty hangar and knocks her out and takes the letter. She then calls von Stalhein with the news. At the main gate, the security guard tells Algy and co. that Magali turned back into the base and she had taken a girl with her. They rush around looking for Magali and spot her exiting the hangar and boarding her car. She draws a gun and fires at them, smashing their windscreen and causing their car to crash into hers. She moves closer for the kill ... "with the compliments of Odessa" she says. BUt the commander of the squadron has heard the commotion and has arrived and shoots Magali dead first. Inside the hangar, Bertie is surprised to hear the barely conscious Manon muttering his name and saying that there is a letter from Biggles. Biggles? The commander finds the letter on Magali's body. It's great news. Biggles is alive and has found the Stein collection. All this while, Biggles and Sauvinien have been on the move. Sauvinien takes him to the only place the treasure could be--retracing the route of the German convoy he ambushed, up the road, past the mass grave of the massacred French villagers, to an old ruined castle. They search the tunnels underneath and Biggles notices a brick wall that looks newer than the rest. He breaks it down and they enter a cellar, full of artwork ... the Stein collection! Biggles and Sauvinien hear a helicopter. Good, Manon has have reached Bertie. They go out to meet it, but it's von Stalhein. Magali intercepted Biggles' letter to Bertie, he tells them. A convoy of S.S.P.I. trucks show up and they begin loading the artwork. Leger and Pasamonici also arrive. Both are delighted. Leger had been blackmailed by von Stalhein into helping and had to blow his cover for it. Pasamonici had been told all only the cover story of property development and never knew what was behind it. Now both want their cut of the riches. Von Stalhein says they deserve it ... and promptly shoots them both dead. The art collection is loaded and the trucks drive away. Von Stalhein leaves on Leger's Alouette. Biggles and Sauvinien are tied to trees and the whole place is set on fire! But Algy and Bertie are on the way. The rest of the squadron have been scrambled to respond to four fires, which Bertie is convinced is a put up job. However the commander has secured a helicopter, which will have to do. They arrive over the ruined castle and spot Biggles and Sauvinien. Bertie climbs down a rope ladder and releases them. There is no time to climb up the ladder one at a time, so they all cling on which the helicopter lifts them above the flames. Once on board, Biggles radios Marignane and tells Raymond to stop the truck convoy carrying the treasure. Meanwhile he must go after von Stalhein. One of the Catalinas has discovered that it's fire is a hoax so Biggles tells it to put down on the By of St. Tropez. The helicopter delivers him to the flying boat and Biggles takes off to resume the chase. Von Stalhein is heading northeast to try to reach the Swiss or Italian border but Biggles catches up with him near the Massif des Ecrins and orders him to land. Von Stalhein rejects the instruction and shoots at the Catalina. The helicopter takes evasive action but doesn't notice a nearby cableway and crashes into a cable car gondola and explodes. Back at Marignane, a ceremony is held where Biggles is honoured for his role in the recent events. Sir Edward Stein thanks Biggles for finding his father's art collection but notes that so many people had died. he would like to compensate the families. Biggles thanks Sir Edward for his noble gesture but regrets that it cannot bring back lost friends. Next to Biggles, Manon muses that she, on the other hand, could use the money for a wedding trousseau. Biggles is surprised. Has she a suitor? Yes, you, she replies. Biggles evades this. He has his work, he says. But Manon is confident he will return, if only to put flowers on the graves of Pierre and Marianne. She would wait. Biggles then takes his leave by riding off on a BSA motorbike! Category:Plot summaries (derivative works)